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Zoketsu Norman Fischer
American |religion = Zen Buddhism |school = Sōtō |lineage = Shunryu Suzuki |title = Roshi |location = Mountain Rain Zen Center |education = University of Iowa, University of California, Berkeley, Graduate Theological Union |occupation = Poet, teacher, writer |teacher = |reincarnation of = |predecessor = Sojun Mel Weitsman |successor = |students = |spouse = Kathie Fischer |partner = |children = Aron and Noah (twins) |website = }} Zoketsu Norman Fischer (born 1946) is a Jewish-American poet, and a Zem Buddhist priest and teacher.Norman Fischer b. 1946, Poetry Foundation. Web, Apr. 28, 2018. Life Overview Fischer is a Dharma heir of Sojun Mel Weitsman, from whom he received Dharma transmission in 1988. Having served as co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center from 1995 to 2000, he has published several works of poetry and books on Buddhism. Fischer founded the Everyday Zen FoundationEveryday Zen Foundation in 2000, a network of sanghas with chapters in Canada, the United States and Mexico. He has authored several essays on interreligious dialogues, and to that end has attended gatherings such as the 1996 Gethsemani Encounter held at The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky (where the Trappist Thomas Merton lived). Fischer has also stayed in touch with his Jewish heritage, occasionally attending services at Beth Sholom synagogue in San Francisco, and offering instruction in meditation to interested parties there. In addition, he has also served as mentor to teenage boys. All of which is chronicled in his book "Taking Our Places: The Buddhist Path to Truly Growing Up." Fischer also serves on the faculty of the Metta Institute and on the board of directors for the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco, California.Zen Hospice Project: Board of Directors Youth and education Fischer was born to a Jewish family in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1946. As a child he attended services with his parents at a conservative synagogue—an activity he recalls fondly. He studied poetry at the University of Iowa and then completed further studies at both the University of California, Berkeley and Graduate Theological Union. He was ordained as a Zen priest in 1980 in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki. In 1988 he received Dharma transmission from his longtime teacher, Sojun Mel Weitsman.San Francisco Zen Center: Lineage Career Fischer held the position of director at Green Gulch Farm in Marin County, California starting in 1981, and from 1995—2000 he served as co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center (SFZC) with Blanche Hartman (Hartman installed in 1996). Today, as a senior Dharma teacher for them, Fischer continues to teach at SFZC. In 2000 he founded the Everyday Zen Foundation, which today has practice groups in Canada, the United States and Mexico. That same year he was hired as a consultant by now-failed online fashion company ZoZa.com, owned by Mel and Patricia Ziegler. Fischer said of the job, "I have absolutely nothing to offer ZoZa...which is what the Zieglers really love!" As a poet, most of Fischer's work has been published in limited quantity—with nine publications released to date. Fischer is also one of three executors of poet Philip Whalen's work—a former abbot of Hartford Street Zen Center who died in 2002—along with Michael Rothenberg and Leslie Scalapino. Interreligious dialogue Fischer is a proponent of inter-religious dialogue between the worlds' religions, stating, "I feel that in our period it is the challenge of religious traditions to do something more than simply reassert and reinterpret their faiths, hoping for loyal adherents to what they perceive to be the true doctrine. Looking back at the last century, with its devastating wars and holocausts and the shock of ecological vulnerability, I have the sense that religious traditions must now have a wider mission, and it is in the recognition of this mission, I believe, that interreligious dialogue becomes something not only polite and interesting, but also essential." He currently sits on the Board of World Religious Leaders for the Elijah Interfaith Institute, and inter-religious dialogue organization. The Elijah Interfaith Institute - Buddhist Members of the Board of World Religious Leaders He also attended a five-day meeting between members of different religions in July 1996 held at The Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky, where he gave a talk about Dogen, zazen, and the importance of religions coming together—despite their different philosophies—to serve humanity. Fischer will sometimes attend services offered at Beth Shalom synagogue in San Francisco, and offers members there instruction in meditation. He has struggled with the concept of God integral to Judaism and many other religions. In his book "Opening to You: Zen-Inspired Translations of the Psalms", Fischer replaced the words "God", "King", and "Lord" with the word "You." He says of this, "For many of the religious seekers I encounter, the word God has been all but emptied of its spiritual power. The relationship to God that is charted out in the Psalms is a stormy one, co-dependent, passionate, confusing, loyal, petulant, sometimes even manipulative. I wanted to find a way to approach these poems so as to emphasize the relational aspect, while avoiding the major distancing pitfalls that words like God, King, Lord and so on create." Fischer describes Letters to a Buddhist Jew, a work authored by noted author and inspirational speaker Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz as "a fascinating book - the most serious contribution in this field to date."Medical ethicist, mysticism expert to lecture locally Personal life Fischer, the father of two sons, lives in Muir Beach, California (near Green Gulch Farm) with his wife Kathie. They have twin sons, Noah and Aron. Publications Poetry * Why People Lack Confidence In Chairs: A poem (with Dave Morice). West Branch, IA: Coffee House Press, 1984. ISBN 0-918273-07-2 * The Devices. Elmwood, CT: Potes and Poets Press, 1987. ISBN 0-937013-21-8 * Turn Left In Order to Go Right. Oakland, CA: O Books, 1989. ISBN 1-882022-00-9 *''From 'Success'.'' Elmwood, CT: Potes & Poets Press, 1992. * Precisely the Point Being Made: A book of poems. Oakland, CA: O Books / Minneapolis, MN: Chax Press, 1993. ISBN 1-882022-14-9 * Success: A poem. Philadelphia, PA: Singing Horse Press, 2000. ISBN 0-935162-19-4 *''Slowly But Dearly'' (with Philip Whalen). Tucson, AZ: Chax Press, 2004. ISBN 0-925904-41-4 * I Was Blown Back. San Diego, CA: Singing Horse Press, 2005. ISBN 0-935162-32-1 *''Charlotte's Way: A poem''. Kāne'ohe, HI: TinFish Press, 2008. * Questions/Places/Voices/Seasons. San Diego, CA: Singing Horse Press, 2009.Questions/Places/Voices/Seasons, Amazon.com. Web, Aug. 10, 2014. ISBN 978-0-935162-43-1 *''Conflict''. Tucson, AZ: Chax Press, 2012. *''The Strugglers''. San Diego, CA: Singing Horse Press, 2013. Non-fiction * Like a Walk Through a Park. Berkeley, CA: Open Books, 1980. ISBN 0-931416-01-9 * On Whether or Not to Believe in Your Mind. Great Barrington, MA: The Figures, 1987. ISBN 0-935724-26-5 * Jerusalem Moonlight: An American Zen teacher walks the path of His ancestors. San Francisco: Clear Glass Press, 1995. ISBN 0-931425-46-8 * The Narrow Roads of Japan. San Francisco: Ex Nihilo Press, 1998. ISBN 0-9663224-1-X * Taking Our Places : The Buddhist path to truly growing up. San Francisco: Harper, 2003. ISBN 0-06-050551-6. * Sailing Home: Using the Wisdom of Homer's Odyssey to navigate life's perils and pitfalls. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008. ISBN 1-4165-6021-1 *''Training in Compassion: Zen teachings on the practice of Lojong''. Boston: Shambhala, 2013. Translated * Opening to You: Zen-inspired translations of the Psalms. New York: Viking Press, 2002. ISBN 0-670-03061-9. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Norman Fischer 1946, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Aug. 10, 2014. Audio / video *''The Gethsemani Encounter: Zazen''. Kansas City, MO: Credence Communications, 1998. *''Training in Compassion: Zen teachings on the practice of Lojong''. Audible Studios on Brilliance, 2015. Except where noted, discographical information courtesy WorldCat. See also *List of U.S. poets References External links ;Poems * Norman Fischer b. 1946 at the Poetry Foundation. *New Poems by Norman Fischer at Jacket (11 poems) ;Audio / video *Norman Fischer at PennSound *Norman Fischer at YouTube ;Books *Norman Fischer at Amazon.com ;About *Zoketsu Norman Fischer at the San Francisco Zen Center ;Etc. * Everyday Zen Foundation is a website where you can download many of Fischer's talks for free, or for a donation Category:American people of Jewish descent Category:Buddhist writers Category:Zen Buddhism writers Category:Zen Buddhist monks and priests Category:San Francisco Zen Center Category:Soto Zen Buddhists Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:Buddhism in the United States Category:American Zen Buddhists Category:Zen Buddhist teachers Category:Converts to Buddhism Category:20th-century poets Category:21st-century poets Category:American poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Jewish American writers Category:Jewish poets Category:Buddhist poets